Just for the record:
I'm not mad about what LJ did. What I have read of the situation (so far) does not, in the least, piss me off or make me consider taking a journal that I have had for five or six years now and moving it someplace else.
About a year and a half ago, I started a private journal. A very private journal. With very racy and erotic thoughts that I would never in a million years have put here, that I wanted to put somewhere. When creating that journal, my first instinct was to start it here, because I know LJ and how it works. In the end, though, I didn't. LJ has always had an eye towards being "appropriate", and even though they pretty much bar nothing, I didn't know when and if my writings might become something that would end up getting my journal deleted. Like the breasts and breastfeeding icon debate. So rather than starting here where I suspected it might, someday, violate the terms of service and be deleted, I started it elsewhere. Which, for anyone who is going to start an online journal, might be a good first step. Think about what your subject matter will be, how it will fit in the community you're considering, and choose an appropriate community.
My journal didn't have anything to do with rape, molestation or pedophilia. I still took appropriateness into consideration.
Now, I understand that some journals got deleted that had nothing to do with those things, really, or that were actively against the behaviors in question. Rape and pedophilia survivor support groups, legal discussion groups, etc. But I believe that deleting them was an honest mistake, and one that would be easy for an overzealous employee to commit. LJ says they are reviewing everything that was suspended, not deleted, now, and that they will reinstate these communities. The ones they will not reinstate are the ones soliciting or in support of illegal activities, which were the only ones they meant to delete anyway. And I'm ok with that, because that is covered by the terms of service which we all agreed to when we signed up for accounts. Granted, it's a very wide statement in the TOS, and it might be difficult to interpret...but here it is:
"You agree to NOT use the Service to:
Upload, post or otherwise transmit any Content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive to another's privacy (up to, but not excluding any address, email, phone number, or any other contact information without the written consent of the owner of such information), hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable"
And further:
"Promote or provide instructional information about illegal activities, promote physical harm or injury against any governmental entity, group or individual, or promote any act of cruelty to animals. This may include, but is not limited to, providing instructions on how to assemble bombs, grenades, and other weapons or incendiary devices"
"If LiveJournal determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that any user is in violation of the TOS, LiveJournal retains the right to terminate such user's account at any time without prior notice."
This is just one girls' opinion, and I don't hold anyone else in contempt if they don't agree with me. I'm not about that, I'm about accepting people for their different beliefs. And maybe some of this is the ex-site moderator in me who got her ass handed to her for adhering to (and expecting others to) the Terms of Service on another site. But this it is my opinion, and my journal, so I can write it if I want. ;o)
About a year and a half ago, I started a private journal. A very private journal. With very racy and erotic thoughts that I would never in a million years have put here, that I wanted to put somewhere. When creating that journal, my first instinct was to start it here, because I know LJ and how it works. In the end, though, I didn't. LJ has always had an eye towards being "appropriate", and even though they pretty much bar nothing, I didn't know when and if my writings might become something that would end up getting my journal deleted. Like the breasts and breastfeeding icon debate. So rather than starting here where I suspected it might, someday, violate the terms of service and be deleted, I started it elsewhere. Which, for anyone who is going to start an online journal, might be a good first step. Think about what your subject matter will be, how it will fit in the community you're considering, and choose an appropriate community.
My journal didn't have anything to do with rape, molestation or pedophilia. I still took appropriateness into consideration.
Now, I understand that some journals got deleted that had nothing to do with those things, really, or that were actively against the behaviors in question. Rape and pedophilia survivor support groups, legal discussion groups, etc. But I believe that deleting them was an honest mistake, and one that would be easy for an overzealous employee to commit. LJ says they are reviewing everything that was suspended, not deleted, now, and that they will reinstate these communities. The ones they will not reinstate are the ones soliciting or in support of illegal activities, which were the only ones they meant to delete anyway. And I'm ok with that, because that is covered by the terms of service which we all agreed to when we signed up for accounts. Granted, it's a very wide statement in the TOS, and it might be difficult to interpret...but here it is:
"You agree to NOT use the Service to:
Upload, post or otherwise transmit any Content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive to another's privacy (up to, but not excluding any address, email, phone number, or any other contact information without the written consent of the owner of such information), hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable"
And further:
"Promote or provide instructional information about illegal activities, promote physical harm or injury against any governmental entity, group or individual, or promote any act of cruelty to animals. This may include, but is not limited to, providing instructions on how to assemble bombs, grenades, and other weapons or incendiary devices"
"If LiveJournal determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that any user is in violation of the TOS, LiveJournal retains the right to terminate such user's account at any time without prior notice."
This is just one girls' opinion, and I don't hold anyone else in contempt if they don't agree with me. I'm not about that, I'm about accepting people for their different beliefs. And maybe some of this is the ex-site moderator in me who got her ass handed to her for adhering to (and expecting others to) the Terms of Service on another site. But this it is my opinion, and my journal, so I can write it if I want. ;o)